My research currently seeks to illuminate the regulation, biosynthesis and breakdown of plant cell walls. I am particularly interested in grass cell walls due to their diversification relative to dicotyledenous species and the abundance of grasses in managed and unmanaged ecosystems. Grass cell walls represent a promising source of chemical energy for next generation biofuel production. My groups’ approach to this problem is multifaceted and includes the following:
•Functional genomics of rice and other model grasses to develop and test hypotheses focusing on grass-diverged aspects of cell wall content regulation and biosynthesis.
•Population genetics in switchgrass to identify desirable cell wall variation and associated genetic polymorphisms toward identifying the genetic causes of cell wall quality and switchgrass genotypes that convert to biofuels more efficiently.
•Biochemistry of enzymes involved in grass-diverged aspects of cell wall biosynthesis toward understanding substrate specificity and integration into cellular metabolism.
•Microscopy and physiology to understand regulation of cell wall degradation/remodeling during plant development, in particular the regulation of the cell wall remodeling processes that occur to permit emergence of roots past overlying tissues
